Core Skills Analysis
Language Arts
Autumn watched The Emoji Movie, which gave her practice following a story from beginning to end and noticing how characters' feelings and actions helped move the plot forward. She could observe how the film used humor, dialogue, and visual symbols to communicate ideas, which strengthened her understanding of how stories can be told through both words and images. As an 8-year-old viewer, Autumn may have learned to pay attention to character choices, settings, and the way the movie's message was delivered in a simple, entertaining way. The movie also offered a chance to think about how animation can express personality and emotion without needing long descriptions.
Tips
To extend Autumn’s learning, talk together about her favorite character and ask what that character’s actions showed about their personality. You could also pause and have her retell the story in order using beginning, middle, and end, or draw a scene that best captured the movie’s message. Another fun extension would be to compare emojis in the movie with real-life emotions and discuss when people use symbols to communicate. For a creative challenge, have Autumn invent her own emoji character and write a short description of its powers, feelings, and role in a story.
Book Recommendations
- The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt: A playful story about characters expressing feelings and opinions in a creative, humorous way.
- My Mouth Is a Volcano! by Julia Cook: A fun book about emotions, self-control, and listening that connects well to character expression.
- The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! by Mo Willems: A simple, expressive story that helps young readers notice dialogue, feelings, and character motivation.
Learning Standards
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1 – Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a story.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3 – Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7 – Explain how specific images contribute to and clarify a story.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.2 – Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
Try This Next
- Draw a character map for the main emoji characters: name, feeling, and action.
- Retell the movie in 3 sentences: beginning, middle, and end.
- Write a new emoji adventure with a made-up emoji hero and one problem to solve.